Man On the Side
by TowMondler
Summary: Can Chandler handle Monica's marriage to another man?
1. Man on the Side

Hello! Okay, if you remember the episode when Phoebe had her babies and the cute nurses asked Monica and Rachel out? Well, in this fic, Chandler never apologized, so Monica ended up going out with him, and now they're married, and Ross went to London to make up with Emily, and that's where he is now. That's where this picks up. The song is by John Mayer, I know, I know, surprise, surprise! Anyway, just read it. And REVIEW!!! I can't read minds. 

Disclaimer: I don't own the characters or John Mayer, sigh 

"Dan!" Monica yelled up the stairs of their house to her husband. He had gone through med school and now he was a doctor, and as Monica glanced at her watch, he was also late. He came down the stairs holding a beautiful little girl in his arms. Kayley was their daughter, she was three. 

"I'm going," Dan said laughing as he handed Kayley to Monica. He leaned over and kissed her on the mouth and then kissed Kayley and grabbed his car keys and left the house. 

"Bye Daddy!" Kayley yelled as he pulled out of the driveway of their large suburban home and down the street. 

"So it's just you and me kiddo," Monica said to her daughter. "We have some errands to run and then we can do whatever you would like." Kayley nodded and ran to get her coat as Monica pulled on hers. She heard the phone ringing and she ran to answer it. 

"Mon?" 

"Ross? Is that you?"

"Yep, how are you?"

"We're fine, you?"

"Good, the baby is finally sleeping through the nights," he told his sister.

"That's good," Monica told him laughing. "So what's up?"

"I just missed you, that's all," Ross told her. "How's the gang?"

"I actually haven't talked to them in a while," Monica said. The truth was that her and Ross kind of got Kipped out of the group. She hadn't spoken to Chandler since her wedding. Her and Ross finished the conversation and she sat down to think about that day. It seemed so long ago, but it was only four years. 

__

Four years before:

Monica came into the coffee house and saw all her friends, including her brother, sitting there. That was good, that way her and Dan could make their announcement right then. She cleared her throat and they all looked up at the beaming couple. 

"We have some news for you," Monica started. Dan held her hand and nodded for her to continue. "We're getting married!" They all jumped up and hugged the two of them. Chandler managed a weak smile at them and hugged Monica. 

"Congratulations," he told her. She looked up at him and kissed him on the cheek.

"Thank you," she told him. "That means a lot to me." He nodded.

"I have to get to work," he said. "Congratulation Mon and Dan." With that, he left the coffee house. 

"What's with him?" Rachel asked out loud, but then grabbed Monica's hand and pulled her down to the couch. "We have to pick out your dress, and your bridesmaid dresses, and the flower scheme and everything!" Monica smiled and Dan kissed Monica on the cheek as he was also late for work. When they were done, Monica went back up to her apartment, and on a whim opened the boys' door. Chandler was sitting there throwing a ball against the wall in his chair. 

"Chandler?" She asked. "Are you okay?"

"Fine," he said. "You're getting married, I'm fine, I'm happy for you."

"You don't seem fine," she told him. She sighed and left when he didn't answer. 

"Well, excuse me Monica, if I'm not just bursting with joy at the prospect of you getting married. Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm busy," he said to the closed door. Chandler sighed and went into his bedroom to sleep and hope that Dan and Monica never happened, that she was in his arms. 

The weeks flew by and Monica and Dan were busy making plans for the wedding. Chandler stayed as far away from the couple as he could. He wanted her to be happy, but it still hurt when he saw them together. Dan, of course, was the perfect boyfriend for Monica, everyone said. Mrs. Geller loved him. 

"A doctor!" She said. "My daughter is marrying a doctor." Monica was pleased that she could finally find someone that her mother liked, so no one corrected her that Dan wasn't a doctor yet. Besides, Monica had been dreaming of this since she was little. This was going to be the happiest day of her life. Finally, all the planning got to Chandler and he told the gang that he had a business trip to go on and that he would be back. 

"You have to be back for the wedding," Ross said. "Emily and I aren't leaving until after. There was no way I was going to miss my baby sister getting married!" But Chandler had no intentions of coming back for the wedding. He planned on telling them that he couldn't get a flight back in time. That was his big plan, but a week before the big day, he was laying in Denver in a hotel and he found himself reaching for the phone. He dialed her number, but it was busy. He tried again a few minutes later, and it was still busy. Those annoying beeps that told him that she was talking to someone else. He tried all night to get a hold of her. He suddenly wanted to confess everything. That he loved her, that he had made a mistake by letting her go on that date with Dan in the first place. He loved her. He wanted her to marry him, not Dr. Dan. 

"Stupid boy nurse," Chandler said slamming the phone onto the receiver. He tried all night. He couldn't get her on the phone. It was busy all night. So finally he got fed up, and grabbed his coat, threw his things into a suitcase and went to the airport. He had the entire flight to map out in his head what he was going to say to her, and when he finally landed, he hurried off the plane and got to a payphone, and sighed when it rang. 

"Hello?" It was Monica. In the background he heard a man's voice. "Honey? Who is it?" 

"I don't know, hello?" Chandler sighed and hung up and got a cab and headed to his apartment. He still needed to talk to her, but he couldn't with Dan there. So he would just have to wait until she had time for him, knowing that she wouldn't be able to before the wedding, and he didn't want to talk to her after that, the entire point was to stop her from marrying Dan. He got into his apartment and Joey hugged him.

"You made it!" He said. Chandler smiled.

"I wouldn't have missed it," he lied. "I'm tired, I'm going to take a nap." He went into his bedroom and closed the door and buried his head in a pillow thinking of Monica in a white dress. The only bad part about the dream was the man at the end of the aisle waiting for her. 

__

Six numbers

one more dial

before I'm before you

I tried to call

busy all night

gave up waiting at daylight

excuse me Mrs. Busybody

could you pencil me in when you can?

though we both know that the worst part about it

is I won't be free when you wanted me

if you wanted me

Chandler hung back and watched as Monica and Dan made the last minute arrangements for the wedding the next day. Rachel was going to be her maid of honor, and Phoebe was going to be her bridesmaid. Dan had his friend, the nurse who had taken Rachel out, as his best man, and Ross as his usher to please Monica. Chandler's biggest annoyance with Dan was that he was perfect for Monica. He was sweet and nice and treated her like she should be treated. He held the same look in his eye that Chandler held in his eyes when he looked at Monica. Monica entered his apartment, and he looked up. They were alone, this was his big chance.

"Hey," she said.

"Oh, hi Mon," he smiled at her. His brain was rushing with a million thoughts. What to say to her, what to make her understand that she had to call the wedding off. 

"Chandler? I need to talk to you," she said. 

"Go ahead I'm listening," he told her taking her hands and sitting on the chair. 

"Well, you see, I'm not so sure about tomorrow, and I can't talk to anyone else because they all love Dan, and I just don't know," she began to cry and he took her into his arms. "I love him. I really do. He's great, and so wonderful to me." Chandler felt hurt for a minute. She loved him? Chandler had convinced himself in his head that she didn't really love Dan, he was just there to make Chandler jealous. Even after they got engaged, he lived in that fantasy, but the words coming out of her mouth made it real. She did love Dan. Suddenly, he couldn't go through with it. He couldn't tell her that he loved her, that wasn't fair to her, and so he kept his mouth closed and he didn't tell her what he really thought. 

"Do you love him?" He asked. She nodded wiping her tears away. "Then you should marry him."

"Oh, Chandler, " she told him hugging him. "Thank you." He nodded and kissed the top of her head and rocked her back and forth in his arms. "Guess what?"

"What?" He pulled away and looked at her. 

"My father invited Richard! Can you believe? And he said yes!" Monica said shaking her head. "Maybe that's what this was all about." Chandler nodded, he hadn't even topped the list of her loves. Dan and Richard were up there and he was down with Fun Bobby towards the bottom. A mistake she had made. "Anyway," she shook her head once more. "Thanks for listening to me." 

"No problem," he said. 

"Chandler?" 

"Yes?"

"I thought I loved you once, but maybe I just mistook friendship for love. After London, I mean, but you made me see that day in the hospital, that we were just goofing around. Because of that I met Dan, and now we're getting married! I'm getting married!" She added a goodbye and left the apartment and he let tears succumb as he rocked himself in the chair. He didn't want tomorrow to come. Tomorrow made her Mrs. Daniel Foster forever. He sighed, knowing that he would have to swallow his pride and be there for her on her big day.

__

Oh, I am the man on the side

hoping that you'll make up your mind

I am the one who will swallow his pride

life as the man on the side

One of the many

but one of the few

to stand back and wait for you

Monica twirled in front of the mirror and admired her reflection. Rachel came in and smiled at her friend. 

"You look so beautiful Mon," she assured her.

"Thanks," Monica said smiling at the mirror again. 

"Here, let's finish your hair," Rachel said and Monica sat on the stool in front of the mirror and allowed Rachel to place the tiara towards the middle of her head in front of her bun and then the veil was held securely in place by the tiara. 

"Here darling," Judy Geller said. "It can be your something barrowed. It was your grandmother's, she wore it on her wedding day, I wore it on mine, and now it's your turn." She held out a beautiful diamond necklace that Monica gasped when she saw and Judy placed gingerly around her daughter's neck. Monica stood and Phoebe handed her the roses and Monica stood once more in front of the mirror before flashing a smile to her mother and friends and her father poked his head in.

"Monica? Are you ready sweetheart?" She nodded and smiled. Judy left to take her seat and Jack led Monica out to the back of the church where they would wait until it was time for her to walk down the aisle. Ross was back there with her too and gave her a kiss on her cheek.

"You look so wonderful," he told her. 

"Thanks Ross," she told him smiling. She looked at her father and smiled at him too, but she couldn't help have a nagging thought. Was she marrying the right man? Chandler was sitting there in the church. Was he her soul mate? Was she making a huge mistake by marrying Dan? These thoughts didn't have time to become settled in her brain because Phoebe and Ross left and then Rachel and then it was her turn. She took a deep breath and started down the aisle. 

__

excuse me Mrs. Busybody

could you pencil me in when you can?

though we both know that the worst part about it

is I won't be free when you wanted me

if you wanted me

if you wanted me

Oh I am the man on the side

hoping that you'll make up your mind

I am the one who will swallow his pride

life as the man on the side

life as the man on the side

Chandler sat in his seat in the pew of the church and waited for the wedding march to start and for Monica to walk down the aisle. Phoebe and Ross came down first. Monica had picked gorgeous red dresses for them to wear and white roses. In fact white and red roses were all over the church. The march started and everyone in the church stood as Jack Geller led his daughter down the aisle. She looked breathtaking. She looked like a princess. She was carrying a bouquet of red roses and she was beaming. They got to the alter and Jack kissed her on the cheek and handed her hand to Dan. Chandler shifted and Joey, who was sitting next to him noticed. 

"She looks great, doesn't she?" He asked Chandler. 

"Yes," Chandler answered and watched her in the front saying her vows to another man. Chandler imagined himself up there holding her hand in his and was only knocked out of his daydream by the minister declaring them husband and wife. 

"You may now kiss your bride," he told Dan. And Dan obliged taking her in his arms and kissing her. Chandler had missed his chance with her. She was gone. She was somebody else's wife now. Not his. Never to be his again. He numbly clapped as she came down the aisle and followed Joey out of the church. They got to the reception and Monica and Dan came in holding hands and laughing. They were happy. And Chandler wanted her to be happy. So he just had to talk to her once more. To tell her that he hoped that she would be happy. This was it. Tonight he would let her go. This image, this dream of her that he had built in his head. That would be gone. No more. He couldn't take it any longer. After tonight, he decided, he wouldn't think about her anymore. He would move on. He found her and gave her a hug. 

"I'm so happy for you Mon," he told her. It was only a half lie. He was happy that she was happy, but he wanted her to be happy with him. 

"Thanks Chandler," she replied hugging him back. 

"He better treat you good." She smiled and took his hand. 

"He will," she assured him.

"If he doesn't, you know my number," he teased. 

"Really? I don't know if I remember it, I would just walk across the hall when I needed you," they both laughed and they thought about what she just said. No longer would she be right across the hall from him when he needed her advice, or food, or just her friendship. Her and Dan were moving to their own apartment. They hugged once more, this time half clinging to each other in a desperate attempt to cling to the past. 

"Take care of yourself Monica," he told her. 

"You too," she whispered in his ear. He winked at her and Dan came and led her away from Chandler. She threw one more glance back at him and waved before he downed his glass of wine and left the reception. 

I fell in love 

with a dream that I built of you

playing the part of the queen

taking my own advice

I'm giving up tonight

good luck to you and the kid

"Mommy!" Kayley's voice brought her back from the past and she looked up at her daughter who was pulling on her sleeve.

"Kayley?"

"Are you ready to go?" Kayley asked dancing in circles. 

"Yeah, hold on a minute," Monica said. She placed the phone back in it's cradle and threw on her coat as she and Kayley left the house. They got into their car and drove to the mall where Monica had to pick some things up and finish some errands. 

"Can we stop at the toy store?" Kayley asked dancing around. 

"Um, sure," Monica was still thinking of the past and wondering where Chandler was. Rachel, she knew had gotten married and now had a one year old girl named Gretchen. Phoebe had gotten custody of the triplets who were now going on five. Frank and Alice had died in a car accident. Monica talked to the two of them quite frequently. Phoebe had gotten married as well to a man named John, and they lived a few streets over from Dan and Monica. Rachel, Gretchen, and Will, her husband, still lived in the city. Joey was still trying to be an actor in the city, and Chandler...well she never asked and no one ever told her if they knew. She wondered where he was. Was he happy? She hoped that he was. She held Kayley as they walked through the mall. Monica walked into the department store and saw a man who looked awfully familiar. 

"Chandler?" She asked. 

"Monica?" He turned around. 

"How are you?" She asked. 

"I'm good, you?"

"Not too bad," she told him smiling. He noticed the little girl for the first time. A little girl, who had bright blue eyes and dark curly hair was sitting there looking at the display of toys. 

"Is this your daughter?" Monica nodded.

"This is Kayley," she introduced.

"Mommy? Can I get a doll?"

"One track mind," Monica said laughing. "So what about you? Married? Kids?" 

"Married," he said. "No kids."

"Oh," she nodded. A woman with blonde hair appeared next to him suddenly. She was short, and her hair fell to her shoulders in ringlets. Monica had gone more conservative when she had had Kayley, and so today she had on black pants, and a beige turtleneck with a black coat and beige scarf. Monica's hair was cut to her shoulders and layered. This woman was wearing something that Phoebe would maybe even shake her head at. Bright blue pants, and a green and blue coat with a blue hat over her curly blonde hair, and then a canary yellow glittery shirt and yellow shoes. Monica couldn't even begin to imagine where you would buy yellow shoes. This was Chandler's wife? She wasn't his type. Then again, Monica hadn't seen him in four years, maybe his type had changed. 

"Sweetie? What do you think of this dress? Oh, hello," she said noticing Monica and Kayley. 

" Mandy, this is one of my oldest, dearest friends Monica and her daughter Kayley. Mon, this is my wife Mandy," Chandler introduced.

"Nice to meet you," Monica said smiling. 

"You too," Mandy said giving Monica a half smile. 

"Why don't you and Dan join us for dinner?" Chandler asked. 

"Whose Dan?" Mandy asked interrupted Monica's answer. 

"My husband," Monica said. "We'd love to."

"What does your husband do?" Mandy asked. 

`"He's a doctor, if I remember correctly," Chandler answered for Monica.

"Yes, he's a doctor," Monica agreed smiling. After hearing this, Mandy seemed to warm to the idea of dinner. Monica finally gave Chandler a small smile as Kayley pulled on her arm. "I'd better go."

"Wait, I don't think I have your number anymore," Chandler said.

"Oh," Monica put Kayley down and rummaged through her purse producing a small card. She flipped it over and wrote her number and handed it to Chandler as he handed her his and waved as she and Kayley disappeared further into the store. Chandler sighed as she walked away. He had married Mandy when he was drowning in his sorrow over hearing Monica was pregnant and he had gotten drunk and Mandy had looked like a good prospect at the time. Now seeing Monica again resurfaced all his feelings for her and he realized the reason he had gotten married to Mandy was that not a single thing she did reminded him of Monica. It had been one of her redeeming qualities. 

__

Excuse me Mrs. Busybody

could you pencil me in?

but we both know that the worst part about it

is I won't be free when you wanted me

if you wanted me

if you wanted me

I am the man on the side

hoping that you make up your mind

I am the one who will swallow his pride

life as the man

you know, life as the man

living life as the man on the side

Monica and Kayley pulled up to their house singing songs and giggling. 

"If all the raindrops were lemon drops and gum drops oh what a rain it would be," they sang as they made their way to the front door. Monica pulled out her key and slipped it into the lock. 

"Dan? Honey? We're home," she called out. She heard some shuffling and then,

"Hey Mon, I'll be down in a minute," he told her. 

"Okay," she took off her coat and hung it up in the front closet next to Kayley's as she made her way to the kitchen where her daughter had already gone. Dan appeared a few minutes later and gave his wife a kiss and then spun his daughter around and set her back on the stool she was sitting on. 

"How was your day?" Monica asked wrapping her arms around Dan.

"It was long, yours?"

"I saw Chandler at the mall," she said. "Remember my friend Chandler?"

"Oh, yeah, how is he?"

"He's good," Monica said. "I told him that we'd go out to dinner tonight with him and his wife."

"All right," Dan said smiling. 

"I have to go shower," she told him. "Can you keep an eye on Kayley?" 

"Shower? Now?" 

"Yes," she laughed a little. "Shower, now." She moved towards the steps and Dan cut her off and kissed her passionately. 

"I love you," he told her.

"I love you too," she replied. "I'm going to take that shower now." He let her pass and watched as she went up the stairs. 

"Chandler!" Monica came into the restaurant and saw her friend and gave him a kiss on the cheek. "You remember Dan?"

"Hi Dan," he said sticking out his hand.

"Nice to see you again," Dan said smiling. "And you must be Chandler's wife Mandy."

"You must be Dr. Foster," Mandy said giggling. 

"That's correct," Dan laughed. He pulled out Monica's chair for her and then pushed her back in and kissed her cheek. Monica's black dress showed off her great figure and her hair was pulled up and she looked elegant and beautiful. Chandler couldn't help but stare at her. Mandy was off and talking to Dan, and he kept shooting looks over at his wife who shrugged helplessly. Mandy wouldn't stop talking. After dinner, Dan stood up and smiled at Chandler and Mandy.

"We'd love to stay longer, but we have to go relieve the babysitter and I have a early shift tomorrow," Dan said helping Monica with her coat. 

"It was nice to see you again," Monica said hugging Chandler. 

"You too Mon," he told her and watched as he husband placed his hand on the small of her back and led her out of the restaurant. She flashed one more smile back at Chandler and then left. 

Monica dropped Kayley off at her friend's house and made her way home. She put her key in the door and came in. There was a noise upstairs and she began her way up to see what caused it. Dan was working, and wouldn't be home until five. She got to the top of the stairs and called out seeing if maybe he had gotten home early. She opened the bedroom door and saw Dan naked in the bed and a girl scrambling for her clothes. 

"Monica? What are you doing home this early? You said you were working at the restaurant today," Dan said. She held up her hands and closed the door fighting the tears that were going to fall. 

"Monica!" She heard Dan yelling after her, but she ignored his cries as she got into her car and with trembling hands picked up the phone and called the one person that she knew could help her through this. 

~*That's where I'm going to leave you for now. And you will stay that way unless you review. Hint, hint. Just press the little button there and leave me a review. Thanks!*~

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	2. I'll Give you My Heart

Thanks so much for reviewing~ do it again! This one picks up where the last one left off. Oh and the song is by Heather Nova. 

Disclaimer: The characters on Friends don't belong to me. 

Monica's hands trembled as she dialed the numbers. There was no answer at Rachel's. (AN: You thought it would Chandler? Right?) 

"Come on Rach," she pleaded with the phone. "Pick up!"

"You've reached Rachel, Gretchen and Will. We're not available to come to the phone right now, but leave us a message and we'll get back to you," Rachel's voice said over the answering machine. Monica got upset and hung up the phone before leaving a message. She pulled out of the driveway and down the street fighting the tears that were going to fall. She finally parked again in the parking lot of a restaurant and pulled out her phone again and dialed the number Chandler had given her. 

"Hello?" So he was home, that was good. 

"Chandler?" She asked.

"Monica?" 

"Can I come over?" 

"Yeah, sure," he told her. 

"Thanks," she said. "I'll be right over." She hung up the phone and then let the tears fall. She wiped them away and drove to where Chandler said his apartment was. She got out of the car, her legs threatening to desert her. She made her way to the door and Chandler buzzed her in. She got to his apartment and knocked on his door. 

"Monica?" He asked when he took in the sight in front of him. Her eyes were swollen red from crying, and there were tears still streaming down her pretty face. She was visibly shaken as she wiped away at tears. 

"Oh Chandler," she managed and then fell into his open embrace. 

"What's the matter?"

"He's cheating on me," she sobbed. "I came home early. I was supposed to be working at the restaurant today. But I dropped Kayley off at her friend's and then I went home. I got to our bedroom, and...and....there he was with a woman! And I turned and ran and I didn't give him time to explain." Chandler held her and rocked her like a child and then took her to the couch and sat her down. While she cried, Chandler fought off urges to kill Dan. 

"Shush, honey, it's going to be all right," he told her even though he had no idea how it would be all right. 

"Oh, Chandler," she sobbed. "What do I do now?" 

"I don't know honey," he whispered as he rocked her back and forth. The door opened and Mandy came in.

"Chandler?" She asked seeing him holding a hysterical Monica in his arms. "What's going on?"

"She's having a hard time," he answered really not revealing anything to his wife. Mandy raised an eyebrow but didn't say anything. She had found the letters to Monica from Chandler confessing his love and everything that he felt about her. He had never sent them, but couldn't bring himself to destroy them. She knew that he loved her that he had never really gotten over her. She watched as Chandler was more gentle and loving with this woman than he had ever been with her. 

"Oh," Monica said sitting up suddenly. "I have to pick up Kayley!" She gathered her things. 

"I'll come with you Monica," Chandler offered. "I mean when you go home, I'll be there for you." She nodded not really listening. He grabbed his coat and gave Mandy a quick kiss and told her that he would be home later and followed Monica out to her car. They drove in silence and then parked in front of a house and Monica told him that she would be back in a minute and got out and walked to the door. A few minutes later Kayley was in the car with them.

"You remember Chandler, don't you sweetheart?" Monica asked her daughter who nodded.

"From the store," she answered. 

"That was me," Chandler said smiling at the young girl. She nodded.

"Mommy says that I have the remembery of an elephant," Kayley said. 

"That's memory," Monica muttered correcting her. They were nearing her house and she still didn't know what she was going to say to Dan, but she was glad that she had someone with her. They parked in the driveway and walked in. 

"Daddy!" Kayley hopped into his arms and he hugged her and then shot a uncertain glance towards Monica before putting her on the ground. 

"Listen gorgeous," Monica told her daughter kneeling to her eye level. "Can you do Mommy a big favor and go play in the backyard?" Kayley nodded and ran off and Monica straightened and took a deep breath and then looked at her husband. Dan seemed to notice Chandler for the first time.

"I came for support," Chandler said.

"Since when does Monica need support?" Dan asked.

"Since her husband cheated on her," Chandler retorted. 

"I think that that is my wife's and my business," Dan said. 

"Enough!" Monica had been quiet up to that point and she suddenly exploded. "How could you? What if Kayley had been with me?" 

"I'm sorry," Dan muttered.

"You're sorry? No, that won't work," she snapped.

"Where do we go from here?" Dan asked.

"I don't know," she closed her eyes. "But I can't look at you right now, so can you please get out?" 

"Can we talk about this later?" Dan asked.

"Yeah, just leave," she sighed and took off her coat and went into the kitchen. She gripped the counter for support and as she heard Dan leave the house she lost her footing and collapsed on the ground. Chandler ran in and caught her and began to comfort her again. Kayley came into the house for a drink of water and saw the man holding her mommy who was crying. 

"Why's Mommy crying?" She asked. 

"She's upset," Chandler told the little girl.

"Why?" Monica looked up and smiled at her daughter.

"Come here baby," she said holding out her arms to Kayley, who ran and embraced her mother. Monica rocked her back and forth in her arms. 

"Oh sweet girl," she whispered into Kayley's hair. "I love you so much." 

"I love you too," Kayley replied and tightened her grip around her mother's neck. Instinctively, as if she knew what her mother needed at that moment. 

__

Want to cry for you

but I don't know where to go

if I rained for you

it would just be water

and the nights with you

and the storms in your hands

Rachel flew into the house after getting Chandler's message. 

"Monica?" She called out. 

"In here," she heard Chandler call out to her. She ran into the living room and saw that Monica had calmed down by now and was watching a movie with Kayley in her lap, her hand absentmindedly stroking Kayley's curly hair. 

"Oh Mon," she told her sitting down next to Monica and taking her free hand. 

"Chandler?" Monica asked. He looked up from his pacing position. "Can you take Kayley upstairs and put her in bed? If she wakes up tell her I'll be up in a minute to tuck her in." Chandler nodded and gently lifted the little girl out of Monica's lap. As soon as she was free, Rachel hugged her tightly.

"You aren't alone on this," Rachel assured her. 

"I know," Monica said.

"What are you going to do?" Rachel asked as she pulled away. 

"I don't know," Monica said softly. "I don't think that I can stay married to him though." Rachel nodded.

"I understand," she said. "If Will did this to me, I'd...I don't know what I'd do, but I couldn't forgive him." Monica closed her eyes and nodded wanting to block out what she was feeling. 

"Oh Rach," she finally said. "I'm so scared. I don't want to be divorced! A single divorced mother! That's not how my life was supposed to go!"

"I know," Rachel comforted her. "I know." 

"I mean, money is not a problem, because the restaurant is doing so well, and so we'd be okay without Dan financial wise, and I know that Dan wouldn't just leave Kayley, but I..." Monica's voice trailed off. "I guess I know what I have to do." Rachel nodded.

"When are you going to tell him?"

"Tomorrow," Monica replied. "I'll tell him tomorrow that I want a divorce." Chandler appeared back in the room.

"Kayley is asleep," he told her. "So you are going to get a divorce?"

"I don't know how to stay married to him," she said. "I don't know if I will ever forgive him, and I can't stay married to a man who I can't forgive." Chandler nodded and hugged her. 

"Why can't life be simple?" She asked. 

"I don't know honey, if I could, I would make it simple for you," he said. Rachel smiled as she watched Chandler with Monica. She wondered why the two of them never went out, she didn't know that they had. Monica sighed. 

"I'm going to bed," she folded the blanket that she had been laying under and set it on the couch as she walked out of the room up the stairs. 

"I'll stay here with her tonight," Rachel offered. "Will's fine with Gretchen, I'm sure your wife wants you home."

"Monica is more important," Chandler waved the suggestion away. "I'll stay here."

"Sure?"

"Yes, go home to your husband and daughter Rach," he said. "I'm fine here with her." Rachel nodded uncertainly and went home as Chandler went to call Mandy and tell her that he would be staying the night at Monica's.

"Hey, Mandy? Monica is having some marital problems, so I'm going to stay here and make sure that she's okay," Chandler told Mandy.

"I'm sure she's a big girl and can handle it herself Chandler," Mandy answered. "So why don't you come on home?"

"No, she was my best friend, and she needs me right now, so I'm staying here," Chandler said once more before hanging up on his wife. He then sighed and held his head in his hands. What had he been thinking when he had married her? She was not his type at all. Chandler headed up the stairs to check on Monica. She was curled in a ball in the big bed. She had fallen asleep, and by the look of the tears on her face, she had fallen asleep crying. He pulled the blanket over her body and her eyes fluttered open and she smiled at him. 

"Thank you for staying," she said. He pulled up a chair next to the bed. 

"Where did you think I was going to go?" He asked smiling at her. He took her small hand in his and held it as she drifted back off to a restless sleep. Her marriage was over, and he didn't have the faintest clue what to do to help her. All he had to offer her was his shoulder to cry on. Whatever that was worth. Just as he had many times before. When she had broken up with Richard, when they were in London. London. He had almost forgotten London. It had been like an old photograph, you want to look at it so much that you wear out the edges from it being passed around in your hand, and it gets bent down the middle from keeping with you at all times until you can't make out the images anymore, they become blurred. London had become blurred in his mind. All that was left was the memory of her and the way that she kissed, and smelled, and had looked that night. And the way he had felt. Like there was no one else that could fit with him as well as she could. She mumbled something in her sleep and he kissed her forehead and smoothed her hair. Chandler was so angry with Dan again, how could he hurt her? Chandler had always felt a need to protect her, even before they had slept together. She had seemed so frail and small, even though, he was quite certain she could kick his butt. Now she had needed protected, and he hadn't been there to stop the hurt. 

"I'll try to make it up to you Mon," he whispered and her grip on his hand tightened. He fell asleep sitting upright in the chair holding her hand and making sure that he would protect her. 

and you're down and you're down

and I can't lift you

the power is to change

your world

the power is to stop the hurt

but I'll give you my heart

give you my shoulder

I'll give you my heart

give you my shoulder

over and over

Everyone had been furious when they found out what Dan had done. Especially Ross. 

"I still can't believe it. He cheated on her." He yelled into the phone. "Oh, he's in for it now! I knew that I should have come right away when you told me." It was three weeks later. 

"Ross, calm down," Chandler said. "We're handling it."

"You're handling it? What does that mean?"

"Rachel, Phoebe, Joey, and I are here for her," Chandler said once more. Mandy slammed the door, which got Chandler's attention, and he told Ross that he would call him back.

"What are you doing?" He asked his wife.

"Leaving," she said. 

"Why?"

"It's been three weeks since Monica showed up here that night," Mandy started as she was throwing things into a box. "And I realize that she's your friend and she needed you, but I'm your wife and I need you too. You're over that house more then you are here."

"Kayley and Monica need me," Chandler said again sighing. "We've been over this. Her brother is in London and I promised that I would take care of her." That was a half lie. He had told Ross that he would take care of Monica, but he had had every intention of doing it before he made that promise. 

"I knew when she came back that this would happen," Mandy said ignoring Chandler and viciously throwing her things in the box.

"What do you mean?" Chandler asked.

"You've never gotten over her," Mandy said with a slight laugh. "Why did I expect you too?" 

"I've gotten over her," Chandler said defending himself. 

"Oh, yeah, but when she needs something, you'll go running over there," Mandy said sarcastically. 

"She's my friend! She's going through a divorce!"

"It's not even a nasty divorce. Dan told her that she could have whatever she wanted, including custody of their child, and she's the one who dumped him in the first place!"

"Because he was cheating on her," Chandler said exasperated. 

"I understand," Mandy finished that box and stood up. "Listen Chandler, it was good while it lasted, but we both knew that we were just replacements for the people we loved. And now the one that you loved is back and soon to be single again. You should thank me for letting you off the hook." Mandy gave Chandler a kiss on the cheek. "Go to her. You let her go once, this is a second chance. Get her back Chandler. You know you want her. I'll be back later for the rest of my stuff. I'm staying with my sister if you need something," with that Mandy left and Chandler sat down on the couch stunned. Mandy was right. She had been a replacement for Monica. And not a very good one at that. And he did love Monica, still after all these years. He shook his head and remembered that he promised Kayley and Monica that he would come over for dinner that night. He grabbed his keys and left the apartment. Should he be more upset that his wife just left him? Was that what Mandy was talking about? He let the questions run through his head as he drove to Monica's. He got out and walked in the door and Kayley threw herself on top of him.

"Chandler!" She squealed. "Guess what? Daddy has an apartment like you, and I got to go there today. And he has a room set up just for me, so I'm going to have two rooms! One here with Mommy and then one with Daddy! Mommy's is better, but don't tell anyone I said that." Chandler laughed at her innocence and was glad that she was handling this well. Monica came into the hall and gave Chandler a kiss on the cheek.

"What's the matter?" She asked when she noticed that he was quiet. 

"Mandy left me," he said. 

"Oh, Chandler, I'm so sorry," she said. 

"I'm okay, we were drunk when we got married anyway," he said. Monica looked at him with surprise and then smiled.

"Glad to see you're taking it so well," she told him. 

"Come on Chandler," Kayley said hopping out of his arms and grabbing his hand. "I helped Mommy make dinner." Chandler smiled as he slipped an arm around Monica.

"How are you today?"

"I'm breathing," she answered. 

"Even human vegetables breath Mon," he said looking over with concern. 

"But they can't feel," she told him. "And so they can't get hurt. Maybe I should invest in this vegetable-type living," she added. She quickly changed the subject. 

"Monica? It's going to be okay, and you're going to feel again," he promised her. 

"Yeah?" He nodded. 

"But I won't, until you do," he said. "So hurry up and start loving again. Take a page from the Beatles. All you need is love." 

"Now he's quoting John Lennon," she said throwing her hands up in the air. 

"At least I have a smile out of you." She smiled wider at that and he grinned. "I'd do anything for you Monica." 

"It's been so long since someone thought about me," she said softly.

"You've been talking to the wrong people," he added sitting at the table next to Kayley. "Huh, Kay?" Kayley giggled. Monica turned around and smiled at him again, a genuine happy smile.

"What would I do without you?" She asked. 

__

I want to run for you

but I don't know where to go

if I flew for you

you'd still be standing

and it's hard watching

cause I'm part of you

and it's hard not to 

not to know what I can do

"Bye Daddy!" Kayley yelled to Dan who had just dropped her off at Monica's. 

"I need to talk to your mother," Dan said getting out and following the four-year-old inside the house. It had been four months since the divorce. 

"Mommy, I'm home!" Kayley yelled. 

"Hi sweetheart," Monica said coming into the hall and allowing Kayley to jump into her arms. "Oh, hi Dan."

"Mon, I need to talk to you," he said. 

"Hey, Kay, can you go play in your room for me?" Kayley nodded and ran upstairs. "What do you need to talk about?" She led him into the family room and they sat down. 

"I'm moving," he said. 

"You're moving? Where are you moving to?"

"Washington DC," he answered. "Listen, I just need to talk about Kayley."

"Well, yeah, of course you won't be able to see her every other weekend anymore," Monica pointed out.

"I know, I just thought maybe we could switch holidays, some long weekends and maybe one month each summer?" 

"That would be okay," Monica said. "We could do that."

"Thanks Mon," he smiled at her. "I knew that you'd be okay with this."

"Why are you moving?" She asked. "I mean, I'm just curious."

"Job transfer," he said shrugging. "I just feel like I need a new city."

"Then I'm happy for you," she told him taking his hand.

"Do you miss us Mon?" He asked.

"Truthfully? Yeah, I miss us. I miss the old us, not what we became towards the end," she told him. 

"Well, at least we have that beautiful little girl to our credit," Dan said standing to leave. 

"She's something," Monica answered shaking her head and smiling at the thought of her daughter. "Take care of yourself Dan." 

"You too Mon," he gave her a kiss on the cheek and then called goodbye to his daughter and left the house. Kayley came running down and gave Monica another hug.

"Is Chandler coming over tonight?" Kayley asked. 

"I think so," Monica answered twirling her around. 

"Good, he promised to teach me how to juggle," Kayley said.

"He can juggle?" 

"He said he could." Monica laughed and then shook her head. 

"Oh the things I don't know," she answered. They walked into the kitchen and were starting dinner when the doorbell rang and Kayley ran to open it.

"Hi Chandler!" She was hopping from foot to foot. "Can we learn how to juggle tonight?"

"Sure, sweetie," he picked her up and gave her a hug before finding Monica in the kitchen.

"Hey Mon," he said. 

"Hi Chandler," she gave him a warm smile. They were not dating. With both of their divorces going through, and their jobs, and everything else going on, they hadn't made that step yet. Truth be told, Monica was terrified of taking that step. She did not, under any circumstances, want to lose Chandler as her friend again. She figured that he felt the same way. He was her biggest source of comfort. She needed him. He was her rock. Chandler, on the other hand, wanted to be more then just Monica's support system. If that was the only way to have her, then he would settle with just that. But something told him that she wanted to be more just as much as he wanted to be more. They ate dinner, he usually did come over and eat with the two of them, and after Kayley was tucked in bed, Monica found him on the deck. It was a warm spring night. 

"Hey you," she told him stepping out and breathing the warm air. 

"Here," he handed her a glass of wine he had poured for her. 

"Thanks," she smiled at him and took a sip. "What are you doing out here?"

"Thinking," he replied.

"About?" He shrugged. "Oh, its the I don't want to tell anyone, kind of thinking?" He smiled at her. 

"Mon?"

"Hmm?"

"Do you ever think about London?"

"Sometimes. That was a great night," she said sighing.

"And a great month after too," he said softly.

"What are you saying?"

"I don't know," he looked into his glass. "You know what? I have to go." With that, he went back into the house and she heard his car pull out of the driveway leaving her wondering what had just happened. 

__

the power is to change 

your world

the power is to stop the hurt

trying hard to be your tower of strength

trying hard to bring you back to joy

I'll give you my heart

give you my shoulder

I'll give you my heart

give you my shoulder

Monica hadn't heard from Chandler for two weeks, which was highly unusual. Her and Rachel had replayed his words over and over again, analyzing them to death. While she hadn't heard from him, Dan had been coming over more frequently to see Kayley before he moved. He took her to his house, and Monica was left alone at home. She had time to think about Chandler. She stared out the window into the dark night and finally she had enough pacing grooves into the floor and grabbed her car keys and drove to Chandler's apartment. She hopped out and ran to the door and pressed the button.

"Yes?"

"This is Monica, can I come up?" There was a pause.

"Sure," the door opened and Monica ran up the stairs, taking them two at a time. She got to his door and knocked, biting her nails waiting for him to answer the door. 

"Hey Mon," he said when he opened it up.

"Chandler? Did I do something wrong?"

"No, why would you say that?"

"You haven't been over in two weeks," she said. "And I just thought that maybe that night, I did something wrong, or I said something wrong, or I don't know!" 

"Shush, come here," he opened his arms to her and she fell into his embrace. "I'm sorry Mon, I just needed some time to sort out the things in my head." 

"Chandler?"

"Yes?" 

"Do you want back London?"

"I thought I did."

"Does that mean you don't?"

"I don't know Monica, I don't want to lose you again," he had let go of her and was pacing. 

"I don't want to lose you either Chandler, but I...miss you." He didn't answer and so she looked at him. "Chandler? Are you going to talk to me?" He didn't answer again.

"Mon...I just..."

"Fine, you know what Chandler? When you have everything sorted out, come find me. Just hope that I haven't moved on," she told him grabbing her coat and pulling it on and leaving. He ran to the window and watched her car pull away.

"Get her back Chandler," Mandy had said. And there he was, just letting her walk out the door again. He grabbed his car keys and rushed out the door after her. He thought that he would try her house first, but she hadn't gone there. She had gone to Dan's. She just needed to see her baby girl. 

"Monica?" Dan asked when he saw her face fresh with tear tracks. 

"Hi Dan, can I see Kayley for a minute? She forgot Mr. Piggly." Monica held up the pink pig that she had found in the car which she was going to use for her cover. 

"Sure," he opened the door wider for her. "Are you okay?"

"Peachy," she said sarcastically. "Sorry, I just had a fight with one of my friends."

"That's okay," Dan said. He leaned forward and gave her a hug. He missed her more then he let on. Monica stood stiffly in his embrace for a minute and called out for her daughter. Kayley came skipping out and stopped when she saw her mom.

"Hi Mommy," she said.

"Hi baby," Monica said. "Can I have a hug?"

"Sure," Kayley hugged her mother tightly. "Did you come all the way over here to say goodnight?" 

"Yes," Monica told her daughter hugging her. "And you forgot Mr. Piggly in the car. "

"Silly me," Kayley giggled. "Can you tuck me in Mommy?" Monica nodded and Kayley led her down the hall to her room and Monica tucked her in and then Dan came in and gave her a kiss on the forehead. They stood at the door together and Dan flipped out the lights. 

"Monica?" They were walking back to the living room. "Are you okay?" 

"I'm fine, you know what? I just wanted to see Kayley, and drop off her pig, and I'm going now," she told him and left the apartment and Dan closed the door after her. He stood at the window wondering what was happening with a woman he used to be able to tell what she was thinking fairly well.

"You blew that one buddy," he said to himself looking at the picture of him and Monica on their wedding day. He sighed and checked on Kayley one more time before going to bed himself. 

__

when the night just cuts you through

and the dreams are lost to you

when you're worried and confused

I will

give you my heart 

give you my shoulder

give you my heart

give you my shoulder

over and over

Chandler ran to Monica's door and found the house dark and empty. He sighed and kicked at a rock and felt so stupid. He got back in his car going over in his head the places that she might have gone. He decided to try Rachel's and pulled out of the driveway and over to her apartment. He was so busy thinking of the other places that she could've gone that he didn't see her pull into the street and ride right past him. She didn't notice his car either and pulled into her driveway and got out. She had big plans that night of becoming so very drunk. Maybe that will get my mind off this, she thought. Chandler got to Rachel's apartment and jumped out and buzzed her.

"Hello?"

"Rachel? It's Chandler, can I come up?" 

"Sure," a minute later he was running up the stairs. She opened the door for him.

"Is Monica here?"

"Why would Monica be here?"

"We had a fight, and I...she's not here?"

"Nope, sorry, what did you fight about?"

"Sorry Rachel, don't have time now to explain, I have to find her," he waved and then rode around trying to find her. He went back to her house, but by this time she had gone to bed and turned out the lights, so it was still as dark as it had been the first time he stopped by. He finally gave up and went home. He kept calling over her house remembering when he called the week before her wedding just to get the busy signal. There was no busy signal this time, just ringing and then the answering machine picked up.

"Hi, this is Monica and Kayley, we're not available to come to the phone right now," Monica's voice said. 

"If we were," Kayley's voice continued. "We probably would have picked up the phone, duh." 

"Anyway, leave us a message at the beep," Monica's laughing voice continued. 

"Beep," Kayley said. "Just kidding." The real beep sounded in his ear and he left a message.

"Monica, I was stupid and I need to talk to you, so call me back," he said. When he called over and over, he got the machine every time. If she was home, he thought bitterly, she's not answering. Can't really blame her. Finally, he gave it one more time and she picked up.

"Stop calling Chandler," she told him and hung up. He sighed. What a mess he had made out of this. 

The next day, he went back over there and rang the doorbell over and over again until she appeared at the window upstairs. 

"Chandler," she said tiredly. "Go away."

"Monica we need to talk," he said. 

"Chandler," she sighed again. 

"Monica, I've screwed things up. Not the first time, I'm aware, but I need to talk to you, sort things out." 

"Chandler," she said it more weakly this time. He knew he was breaking her. 

"Please Mon? I'm so sorry, can we just talk?" She left the window and there was a considerable amount of time where nothing happened. He sighed, figuring it was over. He had given it a good try. As he was heading back to the car, her door opened. 

"Want to talk?" She asked. "Talk." 

__

time and again

give you my shoulder

I will, I will

give you my hear

give you my shoulder

time and again

over and over

I'll give you my heart

give you my shoulder

~*I discovered I may be evil, cause that's where I'm going to leave you! Here's the deal though, the more you review, the faster you're going to get the third part. So click the little button on the bottom and leave a review. Thanks!*~


	3. We Can Work it Out

Hello! Here is the third part, I bet your all dying to know what happened between Monica and Chandler, so I'm here to ease your suffering. The song is originally by the Beatles, but it's been remade by Heather Nova for the soundtrack for "I Am Sam". 

Disclaimer: The characters on the show Friends don't belong to me

Chandler couldn't believe what he was hearing. She was telling him that she would listen to him? He did his Chandler dance and she sighed. 

"Are you going to talk?" She asked. He nodded and practically skipped to her door and came in. He followed her through the house and into the living room. She sat in a chair and motioned for him to sit on the couch across from her. 

"Mon," he started. 

"What?" 

"I'm sorry."

"You said that already."

"I'm saying it again," he told her. What a great start to the conversation. 

"Okay," she said.

"About last night," he said.

"You made it clear that you didn't think of me that way," she said.

"But I do," Chandler was standing by this point and trying to get her to see. But as a woman who had been hurt too many times in the past by too many men, she wasn't letting this be easy for him. 

"Chandler," she said. "I know you were scared about the prospect of us, but I was too and I sucked it up and told you what I felt."

"I know," he said .

"And you not having enough guts to tell me what you felt just tells me that you don't feel as strongly as I do."

"Monica, that's ridiculous," he told her. "The day you got married I made a decision. I wasn't going to spend the rest of my life waiting for a slim chance that I might get to have you. I tricked myself into believing that I didn't need you. And you came back and that slim chance became real, and I was terrified that I might love you back and lose you again. I didn't want to ever have to lose you again. But I realize now that I would rather risk losing you if I got to hold you one more time. If I got one more kiss, and if I could dance with you just once more, then I could live the rest of my life without regrets. Well, some regrets, like you know my whole marriage, but I meant..." he trailed off looking at the floor. 

"You need to learn when it's a good time to stop talking," she told him. He looked up and saw to his surprise that she was smiling. He leaned forward and took her hand and she didn't shy away. 

"Does this mean?"

"Let's take it slow," she said. "See where it goes." He nodded. 

"Can I kiss you?" She smiled. 

"One," she told him holding up her finger. He leaned forward and gently kissed her on the lips. They broke apart at the sound of the doorbell and she stood leaving him alone. He laid back on the couch with a smile on his face. She wanted to take things slow. Well, that was fine with him, she could take it as slow as she wanted to. Personally, that wouldn't have been his choice, but he was willing to for her. He knew that she just wanted to make sure that she wasn't going to get hurt before investing serious feelings in it. Chandler didn't want to tell her, but feelings were already seriously invested. Kayley ran into the room and jumped on Chandler.

"Hi Chandler!" 

"Who are you?" He teased her. "You're too big to be Kayley."

"It's me silly," she told him hugging him tightly around the neck. "Where have you been? We haven't seen you in forever." She threw her head back on the forever part stressing it. 

"Has it really been forever?" He asked. She nodded and he laughed as he set her on her feet. 

"Are you going to be around more often?" 

"Probably," Monica said coming into the room. "Kay, go say goodbye to your father." Kayley nodded and ran back into the hallway. 

"I guess I should go," Chandler said. "I didn't get much sleep last night."

"Neither did I," she said with a half smile. 

"That was probably my fault," he said. 

"Really? So it was you who called every five minutes? I was sure it was a telemarketer," she said. 

"Those pesky telemarketers that call at three in the morning," he laughed. She giggled. It was so nice to see her smile. He would convince her that she could trust him again. Even though his track record with her trusting him hadn't been very good. As he passed her on his way out, Monica grabbed his hand. 

"We have a lot to talk about," she said. 

"We will." He gave her a kiss on the cheek and left the house waving goodbye to Kayley as he went out. 

__

Try to see it my way

do I have to keep on talking til I can't go on?

While you see it your way

on the risk of knowing our love may soon be gone

we can work it out 

we can work it out

The next week passed with Chandler coming over to dinner and taking Monica and Kayley out. Dan was moving to Washington the next week so he would have Kayley the entire week. Monica figured it was the least that she could do. She was pouring herself a glass of wine on the first night that she was alone when the doorbell rang. Chandler was standing there with roses in his hands. 

"Who would those be for?" She asked raising an eyebrow.

"Just this beautiful brunette who is driving me crazy," he said grinning.   
"Oh yeah?"

"Yeah, she's all I can think about. I dream about her and I think that I may be falling in..."

"Is that moving slowly?" She asked. 

"You didn't let me finish," he argued. "I think I may be falling into the step dancing class that she said once that she might want to take." 

"Nice save," she said sarcastically. "Anyway, more about this brunette?"

"She's funny, and smart, and she knows how to keep a man starving for the next level," he continued. 

"Starving? Really? What's this magical woman's name?"

"Oh, Junie, you know, that cashier over at the grocery store," Chandler said. Monica hit him on the arm. "No, her name is Monica."

"Monica? Not Monana?" He laughed. 

"I had forgotten all about that," he said. She laughed too. 

"Let's get those in water," she said taking them out of his hands and finding a vase to put them in. She knew that he wanted to move faster, but she wasn't ready yet. He closed the door and came in the kitchen behind her watching as she reached up to the cupboard to find a vase. She ran the water and waited as it filled up, tucking a piece of hair behind her ear. He could watch her for hours and not be bored. He had memorized her face the night in London that they had first slept together. They had been laying in bed and he ran his fingers along her smooth skin. Noting the curves and the scar where she fell as a child. He could close his eyes and picture her. Maybe that's why he hadn't slept when she first got married. Every time he went to close his eyes he saw her. He took a seat at the stools in the kitchen and she placed the roses on the counter and turned around. 

"Monica?" 

"Hmm?" 

"Want to go to dinner tomorrow? We can both get dressed up and it can be a real date."

"A real date? Have I ever had one of those with you?" 

"There's always a first time for everything," he grinned. "So what do you say?" She nodded.

"Sounds nice," she told him. He breathed sigh of relief. He felt like he was walking on eggshells around her lately. Never wanting to say the wrong thing in case that she got angry or upset with him. 

"Mon? Can we talk?" She looked at him.

"As opposed to what we were just doing?"

"I mean serious, sit down talk," he said. She looked at him with surprise and then nodded slowly taking a seat on a stool. 

"What do you want to talk about?"

"I know that you want to take this slowly," he started. 

"No, Chandler, we weren't going to have this conversation. We agreed to move slowly," Monica stood up and shook her head violently.

"Monica? What are you so scared of?" 

"I...I'm...I don't...." She began to stutter. 

"The way I see it, you're scared of getting hurt again, but Monica, I don't want to ever hurt you. The man that told you we were just goofing off and didn't tell you what he was thinking grew up a long time ago Mon. And I'm not Dan, I won't ever cheat on you," Chandler looked into her eyes. "You have to learn how to trust me."

"What if it doesn't work out?"

"Then it doesn't," He said. "But what if it does?" Monica was quiet as she thought of something to say to defend her argument. The truth was that she was terrified. No matter what he said, she was still terrified. 

"Can you trust me?" He asked taking her hand in his. 

"I...I don't...."

"Monica, can you trust me? We can work it out (AN: I had to, I had to). Please Monica," he looked into her eyes wishing he could know what she was thinking. 

"But..."

"No buts," he kissed her passionately on the lips. She sank into his arms and they stayed there just happy to be in each other's arms. Monica had missed this, and suddenly she had no idea why she had been keeping him at bay, and suddenly it didn't matter anymore. The reasons seemed stupid. No more thinking, she scolded herself, just feel. 

__

think of what you're saying

we can get it wrong and still you think that it's all right

think of what I'm saying

we can work it out and get it straight or say goodnight

Monica stood in front of the mirror in her bedroom. Rachel nodded in approval. Her and Chandler's real date was that night. 

"You look so beautiful," Rachel commented as Monica approved of herself in the mirror. She had on a black dress with a v-neck that came down low and tied in the front. Her hair was piled on top of her head and she had on a string of pearls and pearl earrings. She slipped on her heels and her and Rachel went down to wait for Chandler's arrival. The house seemed so quiet without Kayley there and she momentarily forgot about her dinner that night and missed her daughter. It was only a week, she reminded herself. She didn't know what she would do when it came time for Kayley to go for a whole month in the summer. They decided they wouldn't do that, though, until Kayley was old enough and wanted to. She was only four after all. Her thoughts were disrupted when the doorbell rang and Rachel squealed and clapped her hands together and ran to answer it. 

"Hey Rach, is she ready?" Chandler asked. Rachel nodded and he stepped into the house and saw Monica come into the hall and he was speechless. 

"I'm ready," she told him smiling. 

"Mon, you look gorgeous," he told her regaining his ability to speak once more. 

"Thanks," she smiled. "Not too shabby yourself." He looked down at his suit and shrugged. 

"Ready?" She nodded and he held out his arm for her to take. She told Rachel to lock up the house before she went home and they left for the restaurant. The ride in the car was silent, as both didn't want to be the first to speak. 

"You really do look great tonight," Chandler finally broke the silence and was met by a deserved smile. 

"Thanks," she said. "I haven't dressed up in so long that I thought I had forgotten how." He laughed and looked over at her. 

"You're amazing," he whispered. She blushed and turned away looking down at her purse in her lap. She pulled out chapstick and applied some trying to find something to keep her busy. They seemed like teenagers out on the first date rather then two people who had known each other for what felt like forever. He pulled his car into the parking lot of the restaurant and they both climbed out. He put his hand on the small of her back and led her into the restaurant. The host led them to the table and Chandler pulled out her chair for her. She smiled at him and he grinned back.

"I didn't think we'd ever get here," Chandler said. 

"It's only a fifteen minute drive," she teased. 

"I think that you've been around me too long," he told her.

"Maybe." Chandler ordered a bottle of wine for them and they sat sipping it and making small talk about everything and anything. He loved the way she looked sitting by the candle and having her features brought out by the candle's light. When she laughed he felt like he had just won a million dollars. He wanted to hop on a chair and dance crying, "I made her laugh! I made her laugh!" He couldn't imagine being anywhere but right where he was right then. Chandler was never much for romance, but he figured this is why they wrote of romance as a great thing. As long as you had the right person to be romantic to. 

"Chandler?" A familiar voice called out. Chandler turned in his seat to see his ex-wife standing there. 

"Mandy," he said his voice strained. He had hoped this night would go off perfectly. Now that hope was dashed by the woman standing in front of him. 

"Monica, right?" She gave Monica a smile, and Monica looking back and forth from Chandler and Mandy finally gave her back a smile. 

"Mandy, how are you?" Chandler asked. 

"I'm good, you?"

"Fine," Chandler said standing and giving her a hug.

"I see that you got your second chance," Mandy whispered to him. 

"Yes," He whispered back. "Thanks."

"Nice seeing you again Monica," Mandy said waving to Monica.

"You too," Monica said. Chandler sat back down and turned to Monica who burst out laughing. 

"Next thing you know, we'll see Richard or Dan," she said laughing.

"Monica?" They heard a man ask. Monica recognized the voice and her mouth dropped open and she bit her lip to stop from laughing. 

"Richard! What are the odds of seeing you here!" 

"How are you?"

"Fine, you?"

"I'm good," he said looking at Chandler. "Chandler, how are you?"

"Peachy," Chandler said holding his laughter in check. Monica was turning red from keeping her laughter from bursting out. Richard said goodbye and as soon as he was out of sight, the two burst out laughing and Monica wiped the tears from her eyes. 

"So, any more guests from the past, or can we eat?" Chandler asked. 

"Hopefully that's it," she said giggling. 

"Thanks for tonight," Monica told Chandler when they were in the car on the way home. 

"Your quite welcome," he assured her. She turned to look over him and then took a deep breath.

"You want come in?" He was astounded and he looked at her to make sure that he was actually hearing those words come out of her mouth.

"Are you sure?" Chandler asked. "I don't want to do anything that you're not ready for."

"I'm sure," she said smiling at him. "What do you say?"

"Yes, I mean, sure that would be okay," he said covering for his original enthusiasm. Monica laughed and kissed his cheek. 

"Okay." Chandler was sure that he wouldn't make it to her house fast enough, and when they got there, it took all he had not to make a break for the house. Monica opened the door and stepped in. As soon as he was in and the door was closed behind him, he kissed her. 

"You certainly don't waste any time," she kidded. He kissed her on the mouth to keep her from talking anymore. In response to this, he scooped her up in his arms and carried her up the stairs. 

"Which room is yours?"

"Does it matter?" She asked between kisses. He laughed and kissed her again. She pointed with one hand and he led her back to where she had pointed. He laid her on the bed and covered her with kisses as he began to undress her, London flashing back at him. 

__

we can work it out

we can work it out

life is very short

and there's no time

for fussing and fighting my friend

Monica heard the soft ding of the timer behind her bathroom door and she took a deep breath and opened the door. Her hand trembled slightly as she picked up the test and looked down.

"Did I pass?" She chuckled softly to herself and then reminded herself that this was no time for bad jokes. There was a blue line, her heart skipped a beat. 

"Oh wow," she whispered to herself. 

"Monica? Are you up here?" Chandler called out. They had been seriously dating for a month now. Dan had moved to Washington. She hurriedly threw open the cupboard and threw the test in the garbage can under the sink. Then she gripped onto the sink for support before calling back, 

"Yes. In here sweetie," she yelled to him. She sighed and left the bathroom and found him waiting for her. 

"Hey," he kissed her. "You okay?"

"Perfect," she lied. "Never better. What's up?"

"We're going to have that picnic in the park today, you and me and Kayley? Remember Kayley? Your daughter?" She forced a laugh and nodded.

"I don't know where my mind went," she said. She threw a look back at the bathroom. Her mind was with that test in the garbage can. No time to think about that right then, so she leaned forward and placed a kiss on Chandler's cheek as Kayley ran in and hopped from foot to foot. 

"Ready Mommy?" She grabbed her mother's hand and pulled her out of the room. Monica laughed and lurched behind Kayley. Get through today, she told herself and then you can think about this. But it nagged at her the entire time. 

"Mon? You sure you're okay?" Chandler asked with a concerned look in his eyes. 

"Me, fine, why do you ask?" 

"You're acting kind of strange today," he said.

"Just a problem at the restaurant that I can't stop thinking about," she lied. 

"What's the matter?" I'm pregnant! Her mind yelled, but her voice calmly answered,

"Just a waiter that quit," she said. She was getting awfully good at lying. If they were giving out Academy Awards, she thought, I would win for Best Actress right now. He nodded and smiled at her giving her a kiss on the lips. Her mind raced. How would he take it? What would she say to him? What did this mean? And of course, I'm pregnant! Yeah! But that part was stifled by the many fears that crossed her worried mind. She got to her feet and called for Kayley and began walking back to the car. She climbed in and in the silence before Kayley and Chandler came in her mind raced extra quickly. She couldn't make it seem to slow down. They drove home listening to Kayley talk about preschool and how much she loved it and all the things that she did there. Monica added at the appropriate times a laugh or a sympathetic sigh, but she wasn't really listening. Chandler spent most nights there, because as Monica pointed out, Kayley knew that they were dating and Dan had had his girlfriend over with her there. So when they were laying in bed, with Chandler's arms wrapped tightly around her, she couldn't sleep. She heard his rhythmic breathing and that lulled her finally to a restless sleep. 

"Mon? What's up?" Phoebe and Rachel came into the restaurant where Monica told them to meet her for lunch. 

"Sit," she commanded. They took a seat and leaned across the table eager to hear her big news. 

"Okay, I'm pregnant," she said. Their mouths dropped open and they looked at her.

"Monica, that's wonderful," Rachel spoke up first.

"Is it?"

"Is it?" Phoebe echoed. "Why wouldn't it be?"

"Is Chandler going to want it? Is he going to leave me?"

"No, honey," Rachel said taking her best friend's hand in hers. "He loves you, and you two have been through so much."

"So is this just another thing that we have to get through?" Monica continued. 

"No, no, this is a reward," Rachel said smiling at her friend who wasn't buying it. 

"I don't know," she said softly.

"When are you going to tell him?" Phoebe asked. "I mean you have to tell him, it's his baby."

"Soon," Monica lied. "I'll tell him soon." 

"Promise?"  
"Yes," Monica said. And she was telling the truth, she was going to tell him soon. But she was still afraid of what his reaction would be to this. 

__

I have always thought that it's a crime

so I will ask you once again

try to see it my way

only time will tell if I am right or I am wrong

while you see it your way

there is a chance that we will fall apart before too long

we can work it out

we can work it out

Chandler slipped out of Monica's arms that night and yawned as he headed towards the bathroom. He grabbed a tissue and blew his nose and opened the cabinet under the sink to throw it away when something caught his eye. He kneeled and pulled it out. It was a pregnancy test with a blue line.

"What does blue mean?" He cried throwing items out in search of the box. "Where's the damn box?" He hissed trying to find it. "Eureka!" He looked over the box and he breath caught in his throat when he saw it. Blue was positive. Monica was pregnant. He would be a father. He sank to the floor his mind reeling. So that's what she was so preoccupied with. Why didn't she just tell him? Then again, he wasn't the easiest person to tell things to, he knew this, but still she could have said something. He heard the bed spring squeak a little and heard a knock on the door. 

"Chandler?" Monica called through the locked door.

"Yeah, hold on," he said pulling himself together and throwing the box and the stick into the garbage can. He opened the door and she raised an eyebrow at him and yawned. 

"I had to go the bathroom," he said. "Why are you out of bed?" 

"I heard you get up," she said yawning again. 

"Oh, well let's go back to bed now," he said kissing her on the lips and leading her back to the bed and climbed in and wrapped his arms tightly around her waist. He was going to be a father. The words didn't seem real to him. When would Monica tell him? Should he tell her that he knew about it? Or just wait for her to say something? He shook his head and tried to fall asleep, but finding out that you're going to be father makes it awfully hard to go to sleep. 

The next morning, Monica woke up suddenly and felt extremely nauseous as she lunged towards the bathroom. She barely made it to the toilet before emptying out the contents of her stomach. She had been lucky when she was pregnant with Kayley, but it seemed this time around would be different. Maybe, she thought to herself, it's because it's Chandler's and they already know how to push my buttons. She laughed to herself and pulled herself to her feet and splashed her face with water and sighed. She went back to bed and climbed in next to Chandler. He woke up a few minutes later and smiled when he saw her. 

"Morning beautiful," he whispered. 

"Hey you," she said sitting up and feeling slightly dizzy, so she laid back down. 

"You okay?" Chandler asked knowing that this had to do with the pregnancy, and wondering how long they would both keep the secret from the other. She nodded and kissed him again.

"Perfect," she told him. She finally took a deep breath and got out of bed and made her way to the closet and pulled out an outfit to wear that day and went to wake up Kayley. She was halfway down the hall when she fainted and fell to the floor. Chandler, hearing the thump in the hall came running out and saw her passed out on the floor. 

"Monica?" He yelled. He turned her over and picked her up in his arms and carried her back to their bed where he gently laid her down. He nudged her slightly and she stirred and opened her eyes. This was it, she had to tell him, so she sighed and looked up at him. 

"I'm pregnant," she told him and he didn't flinch.

"I know," he whispered. 

"You know?"

"I found the test last night," he said running his hands through her hair. "You sure your all right?"

"This pregnancy is just more violent then the first," she said groaning and sitting up.

"I want you to take it easy," Chandler told her.

"I will, I won't go to the restaurant today," she promised. "But I have to take Kayley to school."

"Nope, I'll take care of everything," he said.

"Sure?"

"Positive." He gave her one more kiss and left the room for her to rest. She sighed and fell back asleep. 

__

life is very short and there is no time

for fussing and fighting my friend

I have always thought it was a crime

so I will ask you one more time

try to see it my way

only time will tell if I am right or I am wrong

while you see it your way

there's a chance that we will fall apart before too long

we can work it out

we can work it out

As Chandler was riding home from dropping off Kayley at school, he wondered in his head if he was going to be a good father. Then suddenly he knew that he would as long as Monica was there, and he knew what he had to do. He turned and headed down the street to a jewelry store. He parked and ran in excited and anxious at the same time as he picked out the perfect ring for her. When he saw it, he could imagine it on her finger. He could imagine her saying yes, he could see their future. He knew that he wanted her to be his wife. He bought the ring and raced back home wanting to ask her right away. He found her in the kitchen making herself breakfast as he raced in. He grabbed her hand and she looked startled at him. 

"Monica? I have to talk to you," he said. She looked expectantly at him and he cleared his throat. 

~*Guess what? Musical was canceled because...well I don't really know why, but it was good news for you as I could finish this! So review and the fourth part will be up quicker!*~


	4. You Give Me Love

Thanks for reviewing! This is most likely going to be the last part, so I hope that you enjoy. And tell me what you thought~ review! The song is by Faith Hill. 

Disclaimer: Okay, here's the thing, they don't belong to me

"Mon...I...I just thought....will you....I...it's just that you....I love...I want to...."

"Chandler? Is this supposed to be in English?" 

"Yeah, see I wanted to know if you'd," he mumbled something.

"If I'd what?"

"Marry me," He looked up and took her hand. "Please, marry me. Love me and wake up next to me for the rest of our lives. Let me love you and I promise that I will for all of eternity." He looked deep into her eyes to watch for a response. She looked at their hands tightly clasped together. She knew the answer to his question, no other word seemed a possibility. Ever so slightly she nodded her head. 

"Yes," she whispered so that he could barely hear what she had said. 

"Was that a yes? Was that yes?" She nodded again and he swept her into his arms and kissed her passionately. 

"I didn't know you could be that romantic," she told him between kisses. 

"You underestimate me," he teased as he kissed her up and down on her neck. "Oh, Monica, I love you."

"And you're okay with the baby?"

"Thrilled with the baby," she gave him a look. "Well, getting used to the baby." She smiled and nodded. "Oh!"

"What?" She looked at him.

"I had a ring! I bought a ring! I got you a ring!" He pulled the box out of his pocket and presented it to her and she grinned as she peered inside.

"Chandler! It's gorgeous," she squealed. "You have excellent taste in diamonds."

"My father taught me well," he shrugged.

"Honey, you shouldn't say that to too many people," she said laughing slipping the ring on her finger. He shrugged and hugged her. Her hands slipped through his short hair and she rested her chin on his shoulder as he rocked her back and forth. 

"I love you," she whispered. 

"You too," he said smiling at her. "I'm so glad you said yes."

"And what did you honestly think I was going to say?"

"I figured yes, but a nagging feeling inside thought that you might laugh in my face," he held her closely to him not wanting to let her go for anything. She wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him again. 

"I would never," she whispered. "I would never hurt you."

"Ditto," he told her. The smoke detector went off interrupting the moment.

"My eggs!" Monica yelled making her way over to the stove where black smoke was billowing out from. Chandler ran and got the fire extinguisher happy he had made Monica get it. She wasn't too keen on the idea, as she explained to Chandler she never burnt anything. 

"Never burn anything right?" He asked after the fire was out and the smoke began clearing from the room. He had grabbed her arm and pulled her away from it and now he led her to the couch because she was coughing.

"Not my fault," she argued. "You distracted me. Flash rings in front of girls and they, you know, get sidetracked." He laughed. 

"You can never admit when you're wrong can you?" She shook her head and continued to argue.

"But I'm not wrong," she protested and was cut off by a kiss. He picked her up in his arms and began to carry her up to their bed. 

"I guess I should move in," he said. "To keep you from burning down the house and everything."

"Ohhhh," she said and again was cut off by a kiss. "Stop that!" He just laughed and took her down the hall to her bedroom. Chandler laid her on the bed and continued kissing her as she, being Monica, continued to argue. He couldn't believe that yesterday he had been just Chandler, with a great girlfriend, and now he was Chandler, with a fiance and a baby on the way. A baby, who would be half him and half Monica. Hopefully their good halves. Chandler could readily admit that he had his bad traits, of course he could never see anything wrong with Monica, it had been that way for years. The phone rang and Chandler reached over and grabbed it half angry with it that it had the nerve to ring now. 

"Hello?"

"Chandler?"

"Hey Ross good timing buddy," he said and Monica laughed. 

"Am I interrupting something?" Ross asked innocently.

"Nothing at all," Chandler said and sighed. "Need something Ross?"

"Just need to talk to my baby sister," Ross said. 

"Yeah, hold on," Chandler said sighing and passing the phone to Monica who took it and made a face. 

"Hey Ross," she said in a tired tone. Chandler watched her face as she talked and the way that when she was excited she tended to lean forward and her voice got low and bouncy. 

"She's going to be my wife," he whispered to himself. He half couldn't believe, and half was afraid he still might lose her. 

You turn around 

and then you ask me behind tears of doubt

just what do I see in you

please don't cry

I know sometimes it seems we barely get by

but you don't see 

how much you do 

to get me through

"I don't know about this," Monica repeated to Rachel. 

"You have to," Rachel informed her. "This is going to be the happiest day of your life."

"That's what you said the first time I did this," Monica reminded her. The small ceremony was to be held in a garden, and Monica had chosen a simple cream-colored gown. 

"After all," she had said. "No one is going to buy me in white. A pregnant, divorced mother of a four year old? Yeah, sure." Her hair was half up held up by a diamond barrette and fell to her shoulders in curls. Her diamond necklace that matched the barrette and had been her grandmother's, was the only piece of jewelry, besides her engagement ring, that she was wearing. And now, an hour before the ceremony, she was terrified. It wasn't that she didn't love him, or knew that he would make her happy, but it was the way her first marriage had turned out. She was afraid of marriage. Monica Geller was terrified of marriage. Someone should have gotten that down for the record books. She paced in the small country house next to the garden and glanced out the window as she saw the very small group of people they had invited sitting down waiting for her. Ross and Emily and their two kids, Josh and Rene, had flown in and her parents had come too. His mother was there, and his father, or whatever she preferred to be called, had also come. They were thrilled about the fact that they were going to be grandparents, and adored Kayley. 

"Ready to go?" Her father peeked in and she shot a terrified glance at Rachel.

"You'll be fine," she told her best friend and gave her hand a squeeze. 

"Come on Mommy," Kayley said smiling and clasping Monica's hand in her own. "You look beautiful."

"Thanks sweetie," Monica said. She took a deep breath and stepped out into the sweet afternoon air. She smiled when she saw Chandler waiting at the end for her and she had a sudden surge of confidence. She could do this. She loved him. That was all that mattered. She would be his wife. She could do this. She told herself that as she walked down the aisle. She could do this. This was easy. Piece of cake. Piece of crumb cake. 

When the world is cold

and I need a friend to hold

you give me love

you give me love baby

and when my hope is gone

and I feel I can't go on

you pick me up 

you give me love

you give me love, yeah, yeah

oh baby

"I hate being pregnant," Monica whined as she took a seat on the couch in her and Chandler's home. 

"Just last week," Rachel pointed out. "You said how much you loved it."

"I changed my mind," Monica said. "I'm as big as a house, and my husband is no where to be found."

"He can be found," Phoebe pointed out. "He's in Seattle. We know that, he just isn't here with you." 

"But he should be!" Monica whined again. Her and Chandler had gotten married a very little, quiet ceremony a few months before. Kayley was thrilled about being an older sister, and she was constantly coming up with things that she could do with the baby.

"As long as it's a girl," Kayley informed her mother and stepfather. "No boys." Now Monica was nine months pregnant and Chandler was in Seattle on business. He was as worried as she was about being gone. Under no circumstances did he want to miss the birth of his child. Dan had flown up to see Kayley's kindergarten play and he was staying at a bed and breakfast about a mile down from Monica and Chandler's. The doorbell rang and Dan came in to pick up Kayley. Monica was still in the living room talking to Rachel and told him that he could go up to Kayley's room to get her. He nodded and headed up the stairs. Honestly it hurt him to see Monica pregnant. It brought back too many memories of when she was pregnant with Kayley. He had loved every minute of it, maybe even more then Monica, and had been so overprotective of her. She had gotten mad at him and blew up at him and they had had a fight right before Kayley was born. She got so mad that she punched him, and then went into labor. His nose had been broken and was black and blue and bleeding, but when she cried out in pain, he was there by her side making sure that she was okay. Every time they fought though, he tended to touch his nose in the same spot where she had punched him. As he was playing dolls with Kayley in her room, Monica's screams erupted throughout the house. 

"It hurts!" She screamed. "It hurts!" Dan told his daughter to stay there and rushed down to his ex-wife's side. He still was in love with her, if you wanted to know the truth, and he regretted letting her go. But Dan could see how much her and Chandler were in love, and he knew that he was better for her then Dan ever was.

"Kayley is upstairs," he told Phoebe. "Go get her and take her to your house for us." Phoebe nodded, gave Monica a kiss on the cheek, and told her that she would be fine before disappearing up the stairs to take care of Kayley. 

"Dan," Monica screamed gripping tightly to his hand. "It hurts."

"Shush, Mon, it's going to be fine," he assured her. "Rachel, do you know the hotel Chandler's staying at?" She nodded. "Go call him and tell him that we're taking Monica to the hospital." 

"Oh Dan," Monica cried clinging to him. Rachel did what she was told and dialed Chandler's number.

"Hello?" He answered. 

"Chandler?"

"Rachel? What's the matter?"

"Monica is in labor, but Chandler, Dan's here and we're going to the hospital," Rachel told him. She had never felt so helpless in her entire life, and on the other side of the country, Chandler could identify. He hung up with her and rushed to make reservations on the next flight out. The entire flight was spent with him kicking himself for leaving so close to her due date. And the selfish, jealous part of him kept repeating, why was Dan there with her and he wasn't? She was no longer his wife, and she was having Chandler's baby not Dan's. But everything took a backseat to Monica and the baby. It seemed every heartbeat and breath he took seemed to be pounding her name. He didn't know how he got into the taxi when the plane landed, or how he got to the hospital without having a mental breakdown, but he rushed in and found Rachel and Joey pacing back and forth in the waiting room.

"Chandler!" Rachel cried when he came rushing in.

"Where is she? Is she okay?"  
"She's in the delivery room," Joey told him. 

"I should be with her, is anyone with her?" He didn't want her to have to go through this alone, and he hoped they would say that Phoebe was with her. 

"Dan is," Rachel answered biting her nails. Chandler sighed and Dan came into the waiting room.

"Chandler!" He said coming over. "I was just coming out to see if they had heard from you. Come with me." Chandler did what he was told and found Monica screaming in intense pain. 

"Oh Chandler," she said looking up at him and studying his face with relief. He leaned over and kissed her on the forehead and took her hand which had reached out for his. 

" Hey baby," he whispered. "I promised I'd be here for this didn't I?" She grunted in pain and flung his hand out of her grip.

"You did this to me!" She screamed at him. Dan pulled him aside.

"She did this when Kayley was born too," he told him. "Nothing personal." Chandler nodded and a minute later, Monica grabbed his hand again telling him that she loved him and that she had hoped that he would get there on time. He nodded and kissed her on the head.

"You're doing great sweetheart," he told her. 

"What would you know?" She screamed at him. "You've never given birth!" Dan gave Chandler an all-knowing look and shook his head. 

__

I apologize 

if I never told you what you were in my eyes

oh baby let me tell you know

everyday, looks sweeter knowing you'll be there in every way

now how can you say

that's that not enough

Chandler had rushed in about an hour ago and Rachel and Joey were still outside waiting for his return. They were drinking coffee and playing a card game, when Chandler burst into the room smiling. They glanced up expectantly and he grinned. 

"Ten toes, ten fingers, bright blue eyes, and a very loud mouth," Chandler announced. 

"Girl or boy?" Rachel wanted to know.

"Girl," Chandler said smiling. "Eliza Madeline Bing." They hugged him and asked if they could come back and see her and Monica and Chandler agreed, telling them that they had to be quiet because Monica had just fallen asleep. Dan stood outside the room watching as Rachel and Joey came in and gushed over Eliza. Chandler came out of the room and found Dan standing there.

"Thanks," he said. "For being there for her."

"No problem," Dan said looking in on Eliza and Monica. "Listen, take care of her, because she's special."

"I know," Chandler said before going back into to be with his new wife and daughter. Daughter. He had a daughter. He was amazed by the amount of love he felt over his new little family. Monica glanced up at him.

"Hey handsome," she said. 

"Hey beautiful," he kissed her on the head and brushed away some of the hair from her face. "She's so perfect," he commented as Eliza reached up and uncurled her fist. 

"I know," Monica said shaking her head. "She really is. Someone should call Phoebe and tell Kayley that she has a little sister."

"Rachel did. Her response was a 'yeah!' and 'no brother!' that was about it." Monica gave a small chuckle and gazed down at the newborn in her arms. 

"Chandler, did you ever think that we would make it this far?" She asked.

"Yes."

"Even when I was married?" 

"Well, not then, no, but when I you showed up at my door crying," he said. "I thought to myself that this was my second chance." 

"You did?"

"Sure," he said.

"You were married," Monica pointed out.

"But I didn't love her. Not like I loved you." There was a pause before he asked the question he had wanted to ask forever, but had been afraid to. "Do ever wish that your marriage hadn't of ended?"

"Chandler," she looked up at him and fixed her blue eyes on his. "I don't regret being married to Dan. I loved him. I really did, and we created a beautiful little girl. But we were not meant to be together. At least not like you and I were. I love you. A part of me always has, and I always will. No matter what. Do I wish it would have worked out between Dan and I? I wish that it could have ended better, sure, but I don't think that we would have stayed together forever anyway. But we will. I know that for sure." 

"Well," he said after a few minutes of silence. "That was a very good answer." She laughed and kissed Eliza's forehead. 

"I try," she said shrugging.

__

when the world is cold

and I need a friend to hold

you give me love

you give me love baby

and when my hope is gone

and I feel I can't go on

you pick me up

you give me love

"Sweetie? Can you grab Eliza for me?" Monica asked her husband of four years. Chandler yelled back okay and grabbed his daughter and pulled her back to the birthday party. She was running around with Kayley and had gotten too close to the swimming pool for Monica's liking. He handed her to her frazzled mother who looked like she was going to have a nervous breakdown.

"Remind me one more time," she said sighing. "Whose idea it was to have the birthday party in our backyard?" 

"Yours Mommy," Kayley reminded her. It was her ninth birthday. 

"Right," Monica said. "Thanks baby." Chandler laughed and took Eliza back off Monica.

"Why don't me and you go help Aunt Rachel with the balloons?" Chandler asked his daughter. 

"Okay," Eliza answered and they went over to where Rachel was blowing up balloons to give to the kids running around the yard. After the last guests had left and Monica, Chandler, Rachel, her husband Will, Phoebe, and Joey were sitting in the backyard laughing at old stories when Chandler remembered about a year before when he and Monica had gone through a rough spot in their marriage, he had been sure that that was it for them. He had slept on the couch for about a half a month before deciding she wasn't letting him back into the bedroom and he told her that he was leaving. She had slammed the door.

"Fine!" She screamed at the top of her lungs. "Leave!" He had and she had slumped to the couch in tears. The girls were sleeping over at Rachel's with Gretchen. Her heart felt like it had been ripped out and stomped on. How had they let it get this far? She couldn't even remember what the fight had originally been about, but she knew that it didn't matter so much anyway. He was gone and she was alone. She fell asleep on the couch curled into a ball. The next morning, Kayley and Eliza had come running in and jumped on her. Rachel came in behind them and saw Monica and gasped. 

"Are you okay?"

"I'm fine," Monica said folding the blanket. 

"Where's Chandler?" Monica shrugged. "Monica, what happened last night?" Monica shrugged again. Then tears began falling fast and furiously and she sunk back to the couch.

"I don't know, we were fighting again, and he said he couldn't take it and he would leave, and so I said fine, and told him to leave, and...." she was crying and Rachel took her into her arms. She could understand. Her and Will had had their moments when she had thought that they weren't going to get past it. But this was Monica and Chandler they were talking about. After all they had been through to be together, she didn't think that it would end like this. She rocked her friend in her arms until Monica had calmed down and told her that if she needed her, she could call. Then Rachel left and Monica pulled herself together for her daughters.

"Where's Daddy?" Eliza asked. 

"He had to go out," Monica lied. She hated lying to her sweet daughter, but what was the truth? That she had no idea where her father was? Eliza nodded and ran back outside to play with Kayley. A few minutes later, as Monica was heading out to check on the girls, she heard Eliza's scream and then...

"Mommy!" Monica ran outside and found Eliza laying on the ground and Kayley crying standing next to her. 

"She fell out of the tree," Kayley said crying. 

"I told you how many times not to climb that tree Kayley," Monica said, but all she was thinking about was Eliza, who was thankfully still conscious. Eliza was sobbing and then quieted down and Monica was terrified for her toddler. 

"Go get me the phone," Monica instructed Kayley who ran inside and came back out with phone in her hand. She handed it to Monica who dialed an ambulance and told them what had happened. After that she tried comforting both little girls wishing that Chandler was here with her.

Chandler came into the hotel room he was staying at wishing he was home with his daughters, he thought of Kayley as his own, and his wife. His cell phone began to ring and he answered, and his heart stopped beating when he heard Monica's upset voice. 

"Chandler? It's Monica, we're in the emergency room. Eliza fell Chandler, and she's hurt, oh Chandler..." she trailed off. 

"I'll be right there Monica," he told her. He grabbed his coat and ran out of the hotel room and to his car. He droved past the speed limit, but the speed limit didn't matter then. Only Eliza mattered, and getting to her and Monica. He ran into the waiting room and found his wife sitting in one of the chairs crying. 

"Chandler!" She cried jumping up and running to his open embrace. She sobbed into his shirt and he let her as he rubbed her back and told her that everything would be okay.

"Is Eliza okay?"

"She has broken arm and their doing CAT scans on her to see if she hurt her head," Monica said holding onto Chandler. "I don't think I've ever been more scared in my entire life."

"Shush, baby, I know," he kissed her head. "Where's Kayley?"

"Rachel's." He just rocked her in his arms and told her that it would be okay. 

"I'm sorry we fought," Monica finally spoke up and looked him in the eye. 

"Me too," Chandler whispered. 

"Come home?" He nodded and this seemed to calm her at least a little. The doctor came out and told them that Eliza was fine. She had broken an arm and she had a mild concussion, but other then that she was fine and he led them back to her room. 

"Mommy," Eliza said reaching out her good arm to Monica. 

"Hi baby," Monica said hugging her daughter. Chandler did the same and kissed Monica's forehead. 

"See, she's fine," he said to her. 

__

you give me everything my heart desires

morning, sun, and midnight fires

someone there to share my dream

with you I have everything

when the world is cold

and I need a friend to hold

you give me love

you give me love baby

Chandler moved to the bed and climbed in next to his wife. She sighed and rolled over and he wrapped his arms around her. 

"Long day, huh?" He asked and she moaned in response. 

"Remind me never to have a birthday party for either child here ever again. Why again did we invite so many kids?" Chandler laughed and kissed her forehead. 

"I don't know," he said and closed his eyes and laid silent for a few minutes. "Mon?"

"Hmm?"

"Did you ever think of having another baby?" He asked in the dark.

"I just figured you were happy with Eliza," she said and he could feel her shoulders shrug. "Do you want to have another one?"

"I don't know," he said and he fell silent again. "It might be nice to have a baby around." She sat up.

"Are you serious?"

"Why not?"

"You really want another baby?"

"The first two were wonderful, let's keep the streak going," he said. "And I always thought that you wanted a big family."

"I know, but I thought you wanted a small family?"

"That's before I got one."  
"Are you sure?"

"Absolutely," he answered. In fact he had never been more sure of anything in his life, with the exception of asking Monica to marry him.

"I guess we could try," she said. He kissed her. "But now I want to sleep." He laughed and brushed her hair out of her eyes as she laid back down and fell back asleep. He let her rhythmic breathing lull him to sleep. Another baby. That would be wonderful. He couldn't believe he, Chandler Bing, wanted another baby, but he did. He wanted Eliza and Kayley to have another sister or brother. 

"Should we tell them that we're trying to have a baby?" Chandler asked the next morning as she put the eggs on the table. 

"Why get their hopes up?" Monica responded. "If for some reason I can't get pregnant again, I don't want them to be upset." He agreed and kissed her neck. 

"I have off today," he said. "Why don't we drop the kids off at school and get started on trying to have that baby?"

"What an excellent idea," she said turning around and kissing him. Kayley was at the stage where that was gross and she made a face. 

"Mom," she whined. "I'm trying to eat here." Monica gave a laugh and kissed her daughter's head. 

"So sorry," she said as Kayley wiped the kiss away. 

"I don't know what I'm going to do when she's a teenager," Monica muttered and looked over at her daughter with amusement. Eliza, however, came running in and hopped into her mother's arms. 

"Morning Mommy," she said. 

"At least one of you still loves me," Monica said hugging her back. A horn beeped and Kayley grabbed her lunch.

"Bye Mom, bye Eliza, bye Chandler," she yelled as she ran out the door. They waved and Monica place Eliza on the floor. 

"Ready for preschool?" She asked. Eliza moaned. She had gotten into the habit of not wanting to go to school. Chandler couldn't blame her, but Monica said that was just because he had a short attention span. 

"Not when it comes to you," he reminded her. "So stop your complaining." She giggled and left the room to drive Eliza to school. He waiting in the kitchen for her return and thought about their life. They had certainly had their obstacles, but they had jumped through them and were doing great now. He felt like the Chandler who kissed his best friend on the cheek and told her that he was happy for her was another person. And that was a lifetime ago. Almost ten years. Monica and Dan would have been married for a decade if they hadn't divorced. He wondered briefly what life would have been like if he had stayed with Mandy and Monica had stayed with Dan. Deciding that he didn't like that scenario, he pushed it out of his head and waited on Monica's arrival. Life had turned out perfect, well, maybe not perfect, but it had certainly turned out good. He couldn't complain. He wasn't going to. He was just going to sit there, eat his breakfast. He wasn't the man on the side anymore watching the girl of his dreams marry someone else. Chandler sighed contentedly. That was all that mattered. 

__

and when my hope is gone

and I feel I can't go on

you pick me up

you give me love

yeah, when my world is cold

and I need a friend to hold me

you give me love

you give me love baby

and when my hope is gone

and I feel I can't go on

you pick me up

you give me love

yeah, when my world is cold

and I need a friend to hold me

you pick me up

you give me love

~* That's it! I hoped that you liked it, this chapter wasn't as good as the others, I know, but I was running out of ideas. So please tell me what you thought and review. Press the little button right there, that's it, that's all you have to do! *~


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